‘This will change the world’: Grand opening of Burdekin Shire Council macro-algal water treatment plant

After two years of construction, 13 years of talk, and even more spent dreaming, Ayr has opened the world’s first ‘algal’ water treatment plant. See why farmers and locals should be excited.

Ayr goes green with algae: Pacific Bio CEO Sam Bastounas, Burdekin Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort and State water minister Ann Leahy

After two years of construction, 13 years of talk and many more spent dreaming, Ayr has opened the world’s first ‘algal’ water treatment plant for town wastewater.

Not only is the $8.3 million algal treatment plant five times cheaper than a conventional sewerage treatment plant, it also doesn’t require any chemical inputs – just algae, seaweed, and sunlight.

Pacific Bio CEO Sam Bastounas was riding high at the official opening on Friday, June 20.

“The future of water treatment globally will benefit from this day, mark my words,” Mr Bastounas said.

With the Ayr-based plant now in operation, the focus for Pacific Bio has shifted to using algae harvested from the treatment plant as local, cheap fertiliser for farmers and gardeners.

“We’ve even made paper from it,” Mr Bastounas said of the algal by-product.

Ayr goes green with algae: Pacific Bio CEO Sam Bastounas

Ayr goes green with algae: 'PlantJuice' is a liquid fertiliser Pacific Bio have started creating from the algae by-product

“We are already selling liquid fertiliser to farmers as far south as Melbourne.”

Mr Bastounas said there was definitely scope to “roll out” the treatment plant technology – known as RegenAqua – across the Great Barrier Reef councils.

The interest seemed to be mutual, with the Townsville, Ingham and Palm Island mayors all in attendance.

Burdekin Mayor Pierina Dalle Cort said James Cook University first came to the Burdekin to talk about algae as a biofuel in 2012.

Since then the Council supported local fish farms using the algae system to clean their farm water, until finally the decision was made to build the largest macroalgal treatment plant in the world to treat it’s own town wastewater.

Ayr goes green with algae: Some of the freshly harvested seaweed and algae from the facility.

Ayr goes green with algae: Birds have been making use of the facility

“Fast forward 11 years and I’m proud to be standing here today,” Mayor Dalle Cort said.

“In the Burdekin, our land practices impact everything downstream, including the Great Barrier Reef.”

Construction completed at the Ayr macroalgal facility in December 2024, and the facility has been steadily building itself up over the summer, growing algae in its ‘nursery’ section, and preparing for full-volume operation by June.

Ayr goes green with algae: Visitors inspect the 'nursery tanks' where algae is cultivated before it's added to town wastewater.

The $8.3 million used to pay for the construction was funded via the Queensland Government and Federal Government.

State water minister Ann Leahy inspected the algae facility during its grand opening and said it was “one of the best looking sewerage treatment plants” she’s ever seen.

“There is an opportunity to create a local fertiliser from this,” Ms Leahy said.

“That will help drive down fertiliser costs.”

The RegenAqua system was developed by JCU, and uses seaweed and river grasses (macroalgae) to remove pollutants such as high nitrogen levels from the wastewater.

Originally published as ‘This will change the world’: Grand opening of Burdekin Shire Council macro-algal water treatment plant